Swell Maps: Classic or Dud?

Yeah, Secretly Canadian reissued the two albums proper a few years ago, but wth fewer extra tracks than the 1989 Mute reissues. For example, the Mute version has 22 tracks, while the SC version only has 16 total; the fantastic "Let's Build A Car" is on Mure, but not SC.

So far I have both SC reissues, Train Out of It, and International Rescue. Not sure which of the other compilations I need.

weird how "let's build a car" is on a video on the SC Jane reissue but not as a track

It gives me a total headache trying to figure out whether I've got everything by these boys or not.

this x 100.

There's another Alive comp titled "Sweep the desert", focused on the more krautrock/avant garde side of the band. Hardly essential, but if I remember well there was a couple of tracks that didn't appear elsewhere.

yeah i guess i've got the mute reissues?

Everyone's Mute issues OK? My 'bought when they came out' versions are suffering from disc rot, so I keep looking at copies online wondering if they're more recent pressings or I'm going to open the shrink rap to find a bronzed disc inside.

I *finally* tracked down a CD copy of "Collision Time Revisited" at a good price. I've got the Mute CDs of their two albums - do I need "Train Out Of It"? I'm not sure what's on there that I don't already have.

probably, that stuff is SO confusing. but iirc there are things on the Mute version that you can't get anywhere else.

yeah it (Mute version) has "Doomette", "Clear The Floor", "Cave Dwellers", "Dresden Style", etc.

My question that killed this thread in 2010 still stands BTW.

Hmm, I have Train Out Of It and A Trip To Marineville on Mute, I'd better check them later on, then I might be able to answer :)

my Mute Jane is fine; bought it when it came out. my Restless C.T. Revisited, however, skips.

yeah all my Mute CDs are fine, I have Jane... and Train Out Of It.

Mine are OK too but I realised I haven't listened to them in years so they've gone on my listening pile, so thanks anyway!

What's on "Train", demos and early stuff? Is it any good?

I would say it was essential cos it has their non-album singles on it but they may be on other comps as well, their discography is such a mess.

Looks like it has quite a lot of crossover with Collision Time Revisited, at least the first half. But that doesn't have Dresden Style on it.

Why Tyler you good soul

http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/51646809404/swell-maps-peel-sessions-personnel-biggles

nice! just the other day i realized it'd been too long since my last listen through my faves. this'll give me a reason to have a swell maps revival.

great stuff -- seems weird they've only put out a handful of these officially (and never on CD afaik).

damn I was just listening to jane from occupied europe yesterday

Did the 2013 Mute cd releases get a remaster or is that just the Secretly Canadian versions. I've been meaning to pick up copies of their material for a while and want to get the best cd versions.

Can anyone recommend other rock bands/songs with a driving "pulse," similar to SM traxx like "Midget Submarines" and "Full Moon in My Pocket"? (I guess a much more recent example would be Parquet Courts' "Stoned & Starving"...) Thx!

The outro to "Stoned & Starving" actually v. similar to the "Full Moon (Reprise)"

Maybe a few here: That Motorik Beat

"Full Moon" is really just "Mother Sky" surely?

Kewl, thanks. I've dipped into Can, but it's never really gelled for me (not "rock" enough, or something). Will check it out again...

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever can get that sound going pretty well.

this is very 'midget submarine' - the gordons' 'future shock' which i think came out about a year after marineville:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDKGkWU0lWQ

that's a great call!

there's probably a lot more NZ stuff that would fit tbh, but my knowledge isn't that deep

oh yeah this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3huT9iemFTg

The Dead C - Bad Politics

(that's off their first 7" btw, a lot of the rest of their stuff isn't really quite as rocking as that)

going backwards in time, you get things like this from 1975 iirc which is maybe more in the vein of stuff like 'helicopter spies':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnG_pwzSgmU&t=177s

Simply Saucer - Illegal Bodies

Thanks, all! The gtr solo in that Simply Saucer track is pretty gnarly... (never heard of this band).

There's a band history called Heavy Metalloid Music by Jesse Locke that i've been meaning to get. Hoped my girlfriend could pick up a copy in NYC on her last trip but couldn't find it.
Cyborgs Revisited is a good compilation and has that track on it.

I'm listening to "Cyborgs Revisited" online now... it sounds like the missing link between the first Royal Trux LP, Cleveland-scene basement scuzz, and, I dunno, Boston (the band).

they were kind of canada's sci-fi answer to the velvet underground. kind of.

produced by Daniel Lanois too.

& the band name is more of a reference to Pink Floyd's 2nd lp I think.

Also thought i heard about ping Romany being compared to the Hawkwind electronic guys not sure if that was conscious on his part .

Anyone have further info on the new "Mayday Signals" release: https://www.discogs.com/Swell-Maps-MayDay-Signals/release/18527167

Such as - are these demos, single versions, wot?

It was mentioned in the Rolling Reissues thread recently, I don’t recall how much info there was…

‘Mayday Signals’ by Swell Maps is a compilation of previously unreleased material. One of two surviving members, Jowe Head, has plundered his archives to find a whole host of treasures by the influential DIY punk band. Among the highlights are demo versions of ‘Read About Seymour’ and ‘Dresden Style’.

Not seeing a cd version which would have been handy. But so would Cherry Red compiling one of its Punk multi-lp cd sets on the band.
There were cd remasters of the 2 main lps on Secretly Canadian a few years ago but it was mainly the non remastered Mute version that was visibly around.

Hrm, not much detail there. We'll have to see what comes with the physical product.

Rough Trade list a CD version: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/swell-maps/mayday-signals (Yah I'm still buying CDs, too, fwiw).

"Whatever Happens Next (Acoustic)"

would check out for this and a few others fer sure

yeah found a cd version on Easy Action's site after searching.

Discogs has the Mute version of teh cds listed as RM which i thought was remastered. Ones i have say 1989 on th eback, not that the 2 are mutually exclusive just would prefer a fresher transfer.
THink I found some cheapish copies of teh other remaster though.

I recall some grumbling from somewhere on interwebs that the Mute cds had some reverb added as well. Not sure if that is trur but comparing select tracks to the International Rescue comp they do sound "roomier".
So, yes, to fresh transfers.
...and a cd copy of Whatever Happens Next with extra peel sessions.

Ok, in case anyone else has been confused by their catalog, here's what I've discovered:

The 1991 Mute CD reissues of "A Trip To Marineville", "In Jane From Occupied Europe" and "Train Out Of It" collect almost all of their officially released catalog. These are the tracks that aren't included:
Steven Does - from the 7" that came with "Jane"
English Verse / Monologues - from "Real Shocks" 7"
St. Saviour's Road / Blues No. 2: Beatle Bonfire / Fashion Cult / Texas - from "Collision Time Revisited"
Black Velvet (remix) / Dresden Style - from "International Rescue"
Cave Mines - from "Sweep The Desert"

Not yet officially released are 3 Peel sessions from 1978-80. These are great, someone should put them out. I've also got a couple of tracks they did for WMRS in 1979.

"Mayday Signals" is entirely previously unreleased material as far as I can tell. A couple of these tracks ("Armadillo", "Bandits 1-5") later appeared on a Peel session. Others are demo or alternate versions:
"City Boys - Dresden Style", "Fashion Cult", "International Rescue", "Off The Beach", "Ripped And Torn", "Vertical Slum", "Whatever Happens Next", "Read About Seymour"
There's lots of short bits (12 tracks are 1:30 or less), a bunch of noise collages that aren't my taste, and then there's some great new songs, which are. I'll likely cherry pick the best stuff for my digital library.

"Armadillo" presumably = Winter Rainbow (on the International Rescue comp)

The 1991 Mute CD reissues of "A Trip To Marineville", "In Jane From Occupied Europe" and "Train Out Of It" collect almost all of their officially released catalog. These are the tracks that aren't included:
Steven Does - from the 7" that came with "Jane"
English Verse / Monologues - from "Real Shocks" 7"
St. Saviour's Road / Blues No. 2: Beatle Bonfire / Fashion Cult / Texas - from "Collision Time Revisited"
Black Velvet (remix) / Dresden Style - from "International Rescue"
Cave Mines - from "Sweep The Desert"

Idk, I can think of several songs unaccounted for here but would have to compare tracklists to be sure